Engagement Rate Formula
(2019)
Filmed and edited in Barcelona
Video, HD h.264, colour, stereo
10:00 min
watch video on Vimeo
In * ‘Engagement Rate Formula’, Melis sets up a non-profit initiative that is dedicated to transforming likes, the thumb-up ‘reaction’ symbols used on social media platforms, into ‘real’ likes made of plaster. The initiative focuses specifically on likes expressed for posts depicting the struggles and inhumane treatment of refugees. The initiative reaches out to various NGOs and human rights organisations to help them distribute these material likes to people who are in need. A series of telephone conversations presents an absurd and highly problematic reality where the likes are considered possible aid for refugees in need. The work was inspired by the online phenomenon of slacktivism. The likes are eventually sent to the Moria refugee camp located on Lesbos, Greece.
* The engagement rate is used to measure the level of interaction by followers from content created by a user. It is calculated as total engagement divided by total followers, multiplied by 100.